On Aug. 8, Pearce hung two banners on road signs on Hong Kong's Tsing Ma Bridge that said, 'We want human rights and democracy' and 'The people of China want freedom from oppression.' --PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS
HONG KONG - A BRITISH man who unfurled banners denouncing China's human rights record on a major Hong Kong bridge the day of the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony has been sentenced to six months in jail.
A court document obtained by The Associated Press says Matt Pearce, a 33-year-old teacher from Bristol, England, was convicted of creating a public nuisance and sentenced on Monday.
On Aug. 8, Pearce hung two banners on road signs on Hong Kong's Tsing Ma Bridge that said, 'We want human rights and democracy' and 'The people of China want freedom from oppression.'
Officials shut down traffic on the bridge's upper deck where Pearce was protesting.
Pearce's protest ended after about an hour when plainclothes officers hustled him away. -- AP
